Uh...guys? Do some fact checking before reporting a story, OK?

Anatomy of a celebrity urban legend:

A satirical web site publishes a couple of mock news articles about a celebrity. The text clearly indicates that the story is intended as satire. At least one gossip site recognizes the story is bogus, but then the regular news media, entertainment Web sites, and blogosphere are reporting the story as possible fact. All this even though the original site is a collection of spoof articles and the original piece that started everything
includes the following:

Like Jolie and Pitt, Spears too, might be expected to arrive in Namibia with Kevin Federline, her husband of twenty-one months. Asked why she had chosen Namibia for the birth of her child, Spears apparently said: "Kevin has always been a fan of African-American culture. I'm sure he'll feel at home there, rapping with all the natives. Besides, there's lots of quiet unpaved roads where Sean Preston and I can go driving."

The story circulates the net and news media for a few days, until finally they figure out that the story "may" be a hoax.

Erm..."may" be a hoax?

Some people (especially journalists) should check their facts before reporting stuff like this, especially when the story comes from a satirical Web site. One pop star spent years trying to live down a comment she never made.

Some people are either a. waaaaaay too eager to hop on a news story or b. just plain gullible. Besides, would anyone really want to inflict this on Namibia? Why not throw in Courtney Love, Tom Cruise, and Pete Doherty while you're at it?
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